


this is where you belong

by superhoney



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Canon Compliant, Christmas, Christmas Shopping, Christmas in the Bunker, Cuddling & Snuggling, Dean has a Panty Kink, Dean in Panties, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Illustrated, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, SPN Holiday Mixtape, holiday fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-24
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 13:30:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8981908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superhoney/pseuds/superhoney
Summary: The Bunker has been many things over the years: the headquarters of the Men of Letters, a repository of supernatural knowledge, and more recently, home to the extended Winchester family. But this is the first year that Sam and Dean and Cas are hosting a real Christmas, and they just want everything to be perfect. 
In which they argue over trees, Dean leaves all his shopping to the last minute, and Sam bans mistletoe, but Dean and Cas find ways around his decree.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here is my second entry for the SPN Holiday Mixtape! This one is inspired by _At Christmas_ from the classic Hanson holiday album _Snowed In_. 
> 
> Thank you to [Anna](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Fushigi/pseuds/teacass) for being the most helpful and supportive beta-reader a girl could ask for.
> 
> And thank you to [museaway](http://archiveofourown.org/users/museaway/pseuds/museaway) for the absolutely stunning art, which was a completely unexpected gift and one I will be forever grateful for.

It starts in the kitchen, with a red and white striped dishtowel set that he picked up because they needed new ones anyways. It’s not like he bought them specifically to turn the Bunker into Christmas central, those just happened to be the ones on display at the front of the store.

But then the next time he and Cas are at Walmart picking up socks after a bunch of theirs get ruined on a case that involves chasing after a vamp in the pouring rain, Dean throws a fake pine garland into the basket as well, because it’ll look nice hanging in the entrance to the library.

Cas doesn’t say anything when he sees it, but he does smile, and that’s good enough for Dean.

When they get back to the bunker, they find Sam in the library. Perfect. “Hey, sasquatch, get off your ass and give us a hand here,” Dean says.

Sam glances up from the book he’s poring over and gives the garland a suspicious look. “Is that mistletoe?” he asks. “Cause you two spend enough time kissing all over this place, I am not in favour of anything that encourages more of it.”

And yeah, okay, maybe Dean and Cas do go a little over the top with the semi-public displays of affection these days. But who can blame them? They’ve finally gotten to the point where they’re actually kissing each other instead of just thinking about it all the time, so they have a lot of kissing to catch up on. 

“It’s not mistletoe,” Cas tells Sam, apparently taking his question at face value. “You should know that. It’s not even real.”

“Fine,” Sam groans, shutting his book and coming to join them. “What’s the plan, Martha Stewart?”

It’s probably supposed to be an insult, but Dean is flattered by the comparison. Martha Stewart is a boss. 

“I thought it would look nice hanging here,” he says, gesturing to the entry to the library. “Sort of welcoming, you know.”

Sam looks up, and there’s a little smile on his face that indicates his approval, despite his grumbling. It’s been a long time since they celebrated Christmas, and this time, they’re going to do it right. 

Between the three of them, it doesn’t take long to get the garland in place. Dean slings a casual arm around Cas’ waist as they admire their work. “I like it,” Cas announces. “Can we do more decorating?”

“Of course,” Dean replies. He wants to make Cas happy, and he’d been thinking the same thing himself. “We should probably get a tree, anyways.”

Cas’ eyes light up, but then he frowns. “Under one condition,” he says sternly.

Dean and Sam trade confused glances. “Yeah, sure,” Sam says cautiously.

“We will have a star on top of our Christmas tree, and there will be no jokes about angels as tree-toppers,” Cas declares.

Dean bites his lip to hold back his laughter. First Sam bans mistletoe, now this? The holiday spirit is starting to feel more than a little restricted around here. “Okay, yeah, no problem.”

“Good,” Cas says. “Then yes, let’s get a tree.”

Sam stands in the doorway, looking between the war room and the library. “Where should we put it?”

“Out here,” Dean says without even thinking about it. “The ceiling’s higher, so we can get a bigger tree.”

“But the library’s cozier, and we spend more time in there,” Sam argues.

“Sam, are you not hearing me? Bigger. Tree. Here,” Dean repeats, gesturing towards the open space in front of him. 

Sam crosses his arms over his chest and gets a particularly stubborn look on his face. A look that Dean knows all too well. “I want a tree in the library,” he practically pouts.

Dean rolls his eyes and starts to argue with him, but Cas interrupts him. “Why not get two trees?” he suggest mildly. 

Both Sam and Dean turn to stare at him, surprised.

“We can have a bigger one out here, and a smaller one in the library,” Cas continues. “We have the space for them, so why not?”

That’s actually a very good point. Dean beams at Cas. “Aren’t you a clever one.”

Sam runs a sheepish hand through his hair, chuckling to himself. “Thanks for being the voice of reason, Cas.”

Cas shrugs. “The sooner you two stop bickering, the sooner we can go pick out trees.”

Dean winces. He knows it was barely a blip compared to some of their other arguments, but he doesn’t want Christmas to be a time of squabbling. “Sorry, Sam,” he offers.

And it’s clear that Sam feels the same way, because he reaches out and squeezes Dean’s shoulder. “Yeah, me too.”

They never celebrated Christmas much as kids. There are only two that really stand out in Dean’s memories: the one where Sam gave him the amulet, and the one they decorated the Impala.

“Hey,” he says, grinning. “Remember that time we tried to decorate the car for Christmas?”

A matching grin spreads across Sam’s face at the memory. “Dad wouldn’t let us do anything that was visible on the outside or could damage the car. But those streamers across the inside of the windows were pretty festive.”

“Should we take decorations for the car into account as well, when we go shopping?” Cas asks. He looks about ready to start making a list. Good. Someone’s gotta keep them on track.

“Nah,” Dean says softly. “Baby’s just fine the way she is. We decorated the car ‘cause we didn’t have anywhere else to decorate.” He pauses and pats the wall of the bunker fondly. “But we’ve got a proper home now.”

***

By the time they’re a week away from Christmas, the bunker has been completely transformed. If they didn’t have to be concerned about people making off with the artefacts or the Men of Letters’ records, Dean would consider charging admission to the place as a sort of indoor Santa’s Village.

They have their two trees. As decided, the larger of the two stands proudly in the main room, painstakingly decorated with multi-coloured ornaments and twinkling lights. They opted to use only the lights on the smaller tree in the library for a more subtle ambiance. Sam snickered when Dean used that phrase, but even he agrees it was a good decision. 

There are more garlands in doorways around the bunker, from the kitchen to the bedrooms they’ve set up for their guests and even to the gun range. 

And in Dean and Cas’ bedroom, well. They’ve got a pretty little four-foot fake birch tree with LED lights on its branches that sits in one corner, providing a warm light that plays beautifully over Cas’ bare skin as they move together in tender moments. They’ve got garlands strewn across the wall where Dean’s weapons hang, and it’s the contrast between the two that really makes it work.

They even hang a bunch of mistletoe over the sink in the corner, so that when one of them is standing at it, the other simply has to come over and kiss him. Those are the rules, after all, and they’re not offending Sam’s delicate sensibilities since they’re within the walls of their own room.

All in all, it’s pretty spectacular. 

The only problem is that they’ve been having so much fun decorating and baking and doing various other preparatory tasks that Dean has completely neglected actually buying any gifts. 

“Shit,” he mutters under his breath as he looks at the pile of presents under the tree. They’re all from Sam, who has apparently used his time more wisely. 

“Cas?” he calls out. “Wanna go shopping?”

Cas ambles out of the library, a faint frown on his face. “What do we need to go shopping for? I have very much enjoyed decorating our home up to this point, but Dean, I really think much more would tip us into extreme territory.”

“God, no,” Dean hurries to assure him. “No more decorating. We have reached the perfect level of holiday cheer in here, let’s not mess with a good thing.”

“Then what are we shopping for?”

“Uh, gifts?” Dean replies, embarrassed. 

Cas gives him a stern look. “Dean, we have made more trips to shopping centers in the past few weeks than we usually do in a year, and you forgot to do your gift-shopping every time?”

Dean sighs. “I got distracted.”

There’s a slight pause as Cas considers this. Then he nods. “The lights and shiny textures of many of the holiday decorations are distracting,” he concedes. 

Dean’s said it before and he’ll say it again, Cas is like a goddamn cat sometimes. Lights and shiny textures? Whatever, if that’s what’ll make him stop giving Dean grief about his last-minute shopping, Dean will take it.

“Great,” he says, darting forward to press a quick kiss to Cas’ cheek. “Let’s go.”

“Go where?” Sam asks as he passes them, headed back to the library with a fresh cup of coffee in hand. “Why am I not invited?”

“Because unlike your brother, you’ve already finished your Christmas shopping,” Cas replies smoothly.

“ _Dean_ ,” Sam says, scandalized, and that’s enough of that. Dean leaves the room as quickly as he can while maintaining the tattered shreds of his dignity, the sound of Sam’s taunts ringing in his ears. 

“Hey,” he complains once he and Cas are on their way to the mall, “I didn’t see any gifts from you under that tree either, you know.”

Cas rolls his eyes. “I’ve made my purchases already, but I haven’t wrapped them yet,” he says. “So before you start getting too smug, I’m still far ahead of you.”

“Fine,” Dean says, grumbling slightly. 

Cas reaches across the seat between them and takes hold of Dean’s free hand. “You know the presents don’t really matter, don’t you?”

Of course Dean knows that. They’ve spent years not acknowledging Christmas, it’s not like he’s a spoiled kid demanding to know what Santa brought him this year. 

“I know,” he says, squeezing Cas’ hand. “I just feel bad, like I’ve been focusing on things for me instead of for others, which is the exact opposite of the holiday spirit.”

“That isn’t true,” Cas says firmly. “All of our decorating? You enjoy it, yes, but so do Sam and I, and so will everyone else once they arrive. You’ve baked hundreds of cookies, Dean, and even you couldn’t possibly eat them all, so they are therefore for others as well.”

Dean doesn’t reply, so Cas keeps talking. “You do so much for everyone, Dean. Please believe that.”

It helps, a bit. “Okay, Cas. But I still want to get everyone some kick-ass presents.”

“Naturally,” Cas nods. 

It’s far easier said than done. He wants things that are practical, but still fun. He lucks out with gifts for Claire and Alex: flat silver stud earrings that he plans to carve anti-possession symbols into. They have tattoos, of course, he made sure of that, but a number of demons have figured that trick out and know to burn the tattoo off. Dean’s pretty sure demons wouldn’t think of checking a pair of earrings for the symbol, though, and earrings are harder to pull off than a necklace would be. Besides, to those who don’t know what the symbol actually means, they’ll just look cool.

He buys a nice scarf for Donna, because he knows it gets cold up in Minnesota, and she deserves to have nice, soft things. Jody gets a few bottles of wine and a copy of Practical Magic on DVD, because overly sympathetic depiction of witchcraft aside, it’s a good movie. He and Sam have been working on a gift for Eileen for weeks now, a journal filled with relevant records and lore from the Men of Letters archives, so she’s covered. 

He’s left with just his mom, Sam, and Cas. The three most important people in his life, and therefore the hardest to shop for. 

“What did you get Sam?” he asks Cas, hoping to get some inspiration.

Cas, of course, refuses to tell him. “It’ll spoil the surprise.”

Dean sighs. He should have known. “He doesn’t need anything,” he says. “So I want to get him something nice.”

They pass a small home decor store, and Dean keeps walking, but Cas stops to look at something. “I thought you said no more decorations.”

“I can still admire them,” Cas says defensively.

Dean sighs. “You wanna go in and look around, don’t you.”

Cas turns the full force of those big blue eyes on him, and Dean just shakes his head. “Alright, alright,” he says. He doesn’t actually mind. The store is busy, but so is every other store. It’s the week before Christmas, after all.

Cas darts away to look at something along the far wall while Dean wanders slowly through the store. There are some cute ornaments, but their tree is already pretty full. He’s debating the one shaped like a moose for Sam’s stocking anyways when he hears the light tinkle of music from behind him.

He turns to see a table filled with snow-globes, each with a different wintery scene inside. There’s a young girl, maybe seven years old, watching in awe as the fake snow drifts within the glass. The music seems to be coming from there.

“Snow-globes?” Cas asks, coming to stand beside him. “They’re pretty.”

“Yeah,” Dean says softly, swept up in his memories. The little girl moves on to look at something else, and Dean steps closer to the table, resting a hand on the globe. “Sam used to love these. There was this one time, we were at a store just like this. Dad was interviewing someone at another store about a case, and Sam and I wandered around the mall. He stopped dead in his tracks looking at these things, and I was irritated at first cause I wanted to go look at something else, but he just looked so happy. So I came back to look at them with him, and showed him how they played music as well, and we just...listened, for a minute. Until Dad caught up and hauled us off again, of course.”

Cas smiles at him. “That’s a lovely story.”

“Yeah,” Dean says with a soft laugh. “I think I found Sam’s present.”

In honour of the ornament Dean opts not to purchase, he chooses the snow-globe with the ceramic moose inside it. It plays the tune of White Christmas, and Dean knows that Sam will love it.

“One down, two to go,” Dean murmurs as they leave the store. “Hey Cas, have you been a good boy this year? Tell Santa what you want for Christmas.”

“Dean, I’m not at all opposed to some creative roleplay, but please never say that to me again,” Cas says with a shudder. 

“You call me _good_ all the time,” Dean whispers in Cas’ ear, and has the satisfaction of watching him turn pink.

“Dean,” he practically hisses. “We’re in public.”

Dean backs off, chuckling. “Fine,” he says. “You’re no fun.”

“I am unfathomable amounts of fun,” Cas informs him haughtily. “I simply find Santa incredibly unappealing.”

“Bet you I can find a way to change your mind.” And apparently fate is on his side, because they happen to pass Victoria’s Secret just as Dean says this. He points to one of the red-and-white lingerie sets displayed in the window. “Don’t even try to pretend you wouldn’t find me _appealing_ in a get-up like that.”

Cas sputters, but doesn’t deny it. Hah. 

“You, Dean Winchester, are definitely going on the naughty list,” he says eventually. 

Dean shrugs. “Seems like an okay place to be.”

They’ve gotta stop talking about this, because Dean still really needs to find a gift for his mom, and those are not two things he wants to be thinking about at the same time.

Everything they see is just so boring. It’s hard to shop for her, because he loves her, but he doesn’t have the same wealth of experience to draw on that he does with Sam. A snowglobe on its own would be boring too if it didn’t reference that specific moment in their lives. 

They pass the Barnes and Noble, and Dean hesitates. Everybody likes books, right? He remembers his parents reading to him when he was small, sitting on his mom’s lap and listening to her voice as he stared at the brightly-coloured pictures. 

Books can be an escape, but they can also be an education. The only problem is that taste in them is incredibly personal, and Dean has no idea what she might like to read.

“Why not get her a gift card, and she can choose for herself?” Cas suggests after they’ve wandered around the store in vain for almost half an hour. 

Dean wrinkles his nose. “Gift cards are so impersonal.”

“They don’t have to be,” Cas replies. “You can pick out a nice card, write her a nice message. Maybe the two of you can go shopping with it together. Turn it into a bonding experience. Use it to get to know each other as you are now.”

Dean thinks it over, and yeah, maybe Cas has a point. It would be fun to spend a nice day at the bookstore with his mom. That’s what Christmas is all about, really, the time spent together.

“You’re a genius,” he says, giving Cas a quick kiss on the forehead. 

Now that his mom’s taken care of, the only person left on his list is Cas. Predictably, Dean has no idea what to get for him. And he’s also here, which makes shopping for him a bit difficult.

“I notice you haven’t bought anything for me yet,” Cas teases him with unerring accuracy.

Dean sighs. “Kinda hard when you’re right here.”

Cas nods decisively. “I’m going to stay here,” he announces, “meet me back at the cafe in half an hour. I’ll get us coffees.”

“Gingerbread latte?” Dean asks hopefully. 

“Gingerbread latte,” Cas confirms. 

“Love you,” Dean says softly, accepting the kiss that Cas presses to his cheek.

“I love you too, Dean. Now go pick out something nice for me.”

Dean offers him a mock-salute and heads back into the crowded mall. He wanders for a few minutes, looking around at so many other people with similarly glazed expressions on their faces. He needs to focus.

What would Castiel, angel of the Lord, want or need for Christmas? It should be something meaningful, considering that this is their first Christmas together. He doesn’t want to pick out a book, or a nice shirt that will look good under the trenchcoat Cas still insists on wearing.

Seeking inspiration, he enters Macy’s, figuring that there will be enough variety that he’s sure to get some ideas. He looks at the watches, but Cas has a perfect internal clock. He doesn’t need a watch, even if that nice one with the brown leather strap would draw attention to those gorgeous hands of his. 

The men’s clothing department is equally unexciting, and Dean is about to give up when he catches sight of something out of the corner of his eye. Tucked into a back corner of the department is a small selection of sleepwear. He bypasses the plaid pyjama pants, appealing as they are, because he and Cas tend to sleep in just their underwear, preferring to keep each other warm with the heat of their own bodies. But hanging beside the pyjamas is a rack of plush robes, all in deep jewel tones, that Dean sort of wants to rub his face in.

He has his own robe, of course, and it suits him just fine. But Cas usually makes do with an old hoodie, wrinkling his nose at the thought of using a robe that belonged to a long-dead member of the Men of Letters. 

Dean can picture him in one of these, though. Especially the blue one. Christ, Cas’ eyes would look even more incredible than usual with that thing on. And he loves soft and cozy things. Dean thinks about the two of them, making coffee on a quiet morning while Sam is out for a run, and yeah, that’s that. He grabs one of the blue robes from the back so it isn’t the one everyone has already tried on and heads for the cash, feeling incredibly pleased with himself.

Dean makes his way back to the bookstore with only one other quick stop along the way. Cas looks at the bag inquisitively when they meet back up, but the other good thing about department store shopping is that it prevents the recipient from guessing what’s in the bag. It could be almost anything. 

“No peeking,” he says as he accepts the red cup Cas hands him, inhaling the sweet and spicy scent of his favourite seasonal beverage.

“Very well,” Cas says calmly. “I look forward to seeing it on Christmas day.”

***

Their guests start arriving on the 21st, Eileen and Mary showing up within minutes of each other, which sends Sam into a tizzy. Apparently he thought he would have more time to prepare for the big “my partner is meeting my parent” moment. Dean feels a bit bad for him, but it can’t go worse than Mary pointing a gun at Cas when they first met, even if he and Dean weren’t officially together at that point.

But Mary is curious, and gracious, and she and Eileen seem to get along right from the start. Sam looks so relieved he might burst into tears, so Dean just claps him on the back and brings him a drink. “Cheers, Sammy,” he says, raising his own glass as they watch Eileen teach Mary a few basic signs. 

Mary catches Dean’s eye from across the room, and smiles at him a bit nervously. They’re still working their relationship out, but she’s here, and she looks happy, and that’s good enough for Dean. 

Cas joins them a few minutes later, greeting Eileen with a warm hug. It’s a bit surreal, standing there with Sam, looking at three more people they both love. They’re so used to it just being the two of them. But it’s the good kind of change, and Dean wouldn’t have it any other way.

Donna and Jody arrive with Claire and Alex in tow on the 23rd, and it basically devolves into one giant group hug with Sam at the center since his arms are the longest. Even Claire smiles, her face softer than Dean has ever seen it before. Apparently even she’s been affected by the holiday spirit.

“That’s some tree,” Donna says with an admiring whistle, taking in the elegant spruce that dominates the room.

“Cut it ourselves,” Sam informs her proudly, slinging an arm around Eileen’s waist.

“We’ve got another one in the library,” Dean adds. “So the Christmas spirit is never far from sight.”

“It looks great in here,” Alex says, peering around with interest. “This place is pretty cool.”

“May I offer you a tour?” Cas asks politely. He holds out one arm to each of the girls, and they take hold of them with only a slight giggle. Donna and Jody trail behind them as Cas leads them down the hall, his voice echoing as he explains the bunker’s layout to them. 

Dean watches them go with a fond smile on his face. It’s good to see Cas taking pride in the bunker. It’s his home too, and Dean likes it when he sees evidence of Cas’ comfort here. 

“Hey,” Sam says, interrupting his thoughts. “We should get those pizzas ordered.”

They’re going to be doing plenty of cooking over the next few days, so for this first night with everyone here, they’re taking the easy way out with pizza. Or at least it seems like the easy way out, but picking toppings is no simple task when you’re feeding that many people. Dean gives up partway through and leaves Sam to handle it. He’s the tactful, diplomatic one, after all. 

Dinner is a chaotic affair in the war room. There haven’t been this many people in the bunker since before the Men of Letters disbanded. It’s loud and cheerful and pretty much perfect. Donna’s telling them all the weird things she got as gifts from eccentric family members, and Alex and Claire are listening with twin expressions of horror on their faces, clearly hoping they aren’t going to find similar gifts under the tree in a few days.

“I’ve never celebrated Christmas before,” Cas says as the laughter dies down. “I hope it will be an equally memorable event.”

“Never?” Jody asks in disbelief. “What, even in Heaven?”

Cas shrugs, chewing on his pizza contemplatively. “Time works differently in Heaven,” he explains. “Christmas, the passing of a year, the calendar, they’re all human inventions. I’ve observed Christmas celebrations before, of course, but never participated until now.”

“Let’s make it a good one, then,” Mary says, offering him a small smile. 

“I’ll drink to that,” Jody says, raising her glass of wine. They all copy her movement. “To a good Christmas.”

They spend December 24th playing board games, watching holiday movies, and taking turns wrapping presents in one of the empty store-rooms they’ve cleared out for just that purpose. The pile of presents under the tree is growing at what would be an alarming rate were it anything else. Dean just smiles every time he sees it. Not because he cares how many presents he gets, but because it’s just so nice to see even more physical proof of the warmth and affection that’s filled the bunker’s halls these past few days.

They start drifting off to bed around eleven o’clock, and Dean doesn’t feel bad about bowing out early because he needs to be up at a reasonable hour the next day to start cooking. Besides, he’s got plans for tonight.

He barely keeps his cool while he and Cas brush their teeth and change into pyjamas. Before Cas can slide under the covers, though, Dean grabs a small box from under the bed and hands it to him.

“Hey, Cas,” he says, his voice dropping lower than usual. “I’ve got something for you.”

Cas takes the box from him, his face inquisitive. “Are we not exchanging gifts tomorrow?”

“Wanted you to open this one, uh, privately.” Dean waits with bated breath as Cas opens the box carefully, obviously unsure what to expect.

Cas inhales sharply as he realizes what he’s looking at, and his entire body goes still. He slowly removes the red satin panties with ivory lace trim and holds them up to admire them. 

“They’re lovely,” he breathes, glancing from the panties to Dean’s body, his eyes lingering, obviously imagining what they’ll look like once Dean is wearing them.

“Unless, of course, you’re too tired,” Dean says casually, leaning back on the bed.

“Never,” Cas practically growls. He stands and thrusts the small scrap of fabric back at Dean. “Dean, please.”

A slow smile spreads across Dean’s face. “The best kind of present, right?” he says. “One that’s for both of us.”

Cas drags him into a fierce kiss. “I love you,” he says, staring intently into Dean’s eyes.

“Love you too,” Dean replies, then tears himself away to slip into something a little more comfortable.

Merry Christmas, indeed.

  
  


He sleeps well, considering all the excitement. He wakes up slowly, and even before his own eyes are open, he can sense that Cas is staring at him, obviously waiting for him to get up.

“M’ry Chr’mas,” Dean mumbles, his face still buried in the pillows.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that,” Cas says, poking Dean in the side. Dean makes an undignified noise somewhere between a gasp and a squeal, but it’s enough to startle him into full wakefulness.

He rolls over and grins up at Cas, who’s propped up on one elbow, smiling down at him. “Merry Christmas, Dean,” he says.

Dean tilts his face up for a kiss, which he receives. “Merry Christmas, Cas.”

Cas drops back down beside Dean, resting his head on his chest. Dean curls an arm around him, and they lay there for a few more minutes, enjoying the quiet. “We should get up,” Dean says eventually. “I was gonna make pancakes for breakfast.”

“I do like pancakes,” Cas replies, disentangling himself from Dean’s hold. Dean sighs at the loss of contact and swings his legs over the side of the bed. Right. Christmas morning. They’ll have plenty of time for morning cuddles on days when their home isn’t full of guests.

They make their way to the kitchen, and find Donna and Jody already there, both with messy hair but bright smiles. “Good morning, ladies,” Dean says, surprising himself with how cheerful he sounds considering he hasn’t even had his coffee yet. “Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas,” they both reply. “Coffee’s almost ready,” Jody adds, and winks at him.

“Perfect,” Cas says, joining them at the table. 

“It’s weird how much you depend on coffee in the mornings considering that you don’t even need to sleep,” Dean teases him, but he’s already pulling Cas’ favourite mug down from the cupboard. 

“It’s a good ritual,” Cas replies with a small shrug, and Dean can’t argue with him there.

“Sam’ll wake up as soon as he smells the butter melting,” Dean says, “and Mom’s an early riser. Should we wake Alex and Claire for breakfast?”

Donna and Jody trade glances. “I’ll go,” Donna says with a dramatic sigh. “Teenagers.”

“They’re not exactly what I would call morning people,” Jody explains. “But seeing as it is Christmas, I think they might be a bit more amenable to being awake at this hour.”

Dean sips from his coffee as he starts mixing up the pancake batter, and sure enough, only minutes after the butter hits the frying pan, Sam stumbles into the kitchen with Eileen in tow.

There’s a chorus of Christmas greetings, which are repeated almost immediately when Mary joins them, and then Donna reappears with Alex and Claire. They’re both a bit sleepy, but they perk up as everyone trades hugs. 

“Pancakes?” Mary asks, coming to join Dean at the stove while everyone else chatters around the table.

“Yep,” Dean replies, watching the bubbles form on the surface of the batter, waiting for the perfect moment to flip it.

“Never even learned to make those, even though they basically come in a box,” Mary comments, and there’s a hint of wistfulness in her tone.

“These are not from a box,” Dean informs her. “It’s just as easy, and way tastier, to make them from scratch.”

Mary arches an eyebrow at him. “Really?”

“Definitely,” Dean says. He flips the pancake over expertly, then looks at his mom. “Do you, umn, want me to show you?”

It shouldn’t be a big deal, but it is, somehow. This is something he can do for her.

“That would be nice,” his mom says, and she watches intently as Dean explains when to flip the pancake. He lets out a quiet cheer when she times it just right, and the grin she gives him in return is something he’ll treasure forever.

After breakfast, they head back out to gather around the tree and open presents. Eileen receives a beautiful silver knife from Mary that Samuel Campbell gave to her when she was younger and apparently kept in one of his lock-ups all these years. Eileen signs something to Mary that Dean can’t quite catch all of, but he recognizes the signs for “grateful” and “honoured,” and Mary’s answering smile is easy enough to interpret.

Sam practically crushes Dean in a tight hug when he opens his snow-globe, and he tells everyone the story about when they were kids, and Dean’s pretty sure he hears a few sniffles from the others. He flushes and encourages Donna to open something to take the attention off him.

Cas loves his robe, just as Dean predicted. He even rubs his face against it, and Dean laughs to himself. He really is just like a cat. 

Dean stops laughing, however, when he opens his gift from Cas. It’s a framed drawing, and Dean peers at it for a moment before he realizes what he’s seeing: a black-and-white sketch of he and Cas, the moment they first met. The moment Cas rescued him from Hell. There’s a suggestion of flames below Dean’s feet, and the shadow of powerful wings behind Cas, and it’s so gorgeous it almost makes Dean cry.

Sam lets out a low whistle at the sight of it. “Cas, did you draw that?”

“Yes,” Cas says, sounding almost shy. “I’ve been practicing. I tried my hand at several typical human hobbies, and I found drawing to be the most satisfying. I do hope it’s not too presumptuous, Dean, or too self-centered…”

His words are cut off as Dean leans over and kisses him, pouring everything he can’t find the words to say into the kiss. When he pulls away, Cas’ mouth hangs open for a second, stunned, before he smiles. “It’s perfect,” Dean whispers.

“I’m glad,” Cas murmurs in reply before they tear themselves away from each other and stop making a scene.

Once all the gifts have been opened, Dean heads back to the kitchen to get started on the turkey. He refuses everyone’s offers of help for the moment, insisting that they don’t need to do anything until it’s time to make the sides, much later in the day. Jody promised to make her excellent mashed potatoes, and Dean’s looking forward to them almost as much as he is the turkey.

Besides, Dean kind of enjoys the peace and quiet of the empty kitchen. He loves having people here, he really does, but it’s nice to get a moment away from all the noise as well. 

Claire wanders in after a few minutes and grabs a glass of water. Dean looks over at her, and notices that she’s already wearing the earrings he made for her. “No demons in here, I promise,” he tells her.

She just shrugs. “Maybe not. But I kinda like them.”

“Was that almost a compliment?” he asks, feigning disbelief. “Alert the media.”

“You’re such a dork,” she says as she walks away, but she’s smiling. 

The rest of the afternoon passes in a blur of conversation and eggnog until it’s time to get back in the kitchen to get the rest of the dinner ready. It’s a bit tricky, navigating the space with so many cooks, but everyone’s in good humour, singing along to the Christmas music Sam is streaming on his laptop. That’s his designated task, since he’s far from the best of the cooks they have assembled here.

They pile all the food on the map table, but they eat at the big tables in the library, and yeah, Dean can see why Sam wanted a tree in there now. Once everyone has settled in with a full plate in front of them, Dean waves a hand in the air to get their attention.

“First of all, thank you to everyone for making the trip out here to spend this time with us,” he says. “Honestly, this has been the most kickass Christmas I can ever remember, and that’s all thanks to all of you.”

“So, here’s a toast, to all of us, and to many more merry Christmases in years to come,” Sam adds, raising his glass.

Dean feels Cas take hold of his hand under the table, and he squeezes it lightly as they all echo Sam’s words and take a sip from their drinks. “Alright, let’s eat!” Dean announces.

Everything is delicious, of course. Dean eats a lot, but he’s careful to pace himself, because there are several varieties of pie for dessert, and he wants to do them proper justice. He’s impressed by how much everyone else puts away as well, but it still looks like they’re going to have a bunch of leftovers for everyone to take with them, which is perfect. It’s exactly how Christmas dinner should be.

Alex and Claire actually volunteer to do the dishes, and Jody just stares at them as though she’s expecting it to somehow go terribly wrong. “What,” Claire says defensively. “We didn’t do any cooking, it’s only fair.”

Dean isn’t about to argue with that. The girls head off the kitchen, and Donna opens another bottle of wine, and they all just sit back and chat, feeling supremely lazy and incredibly content. 

Eileen’s yawning by the time they’re finishing up their dessert, so she and Sam are the first to head to bed. Dean’s tempted to make a joke about them not getting enough sleep the night before, but he figures that can wait until next Christmas. He’ll go easy on them this year. Wouldn’t want to scare her away, not when she clearly makes Sam so happy.

Mary’s the next one to drift off, and when Dean hugs her goodnight, she pulls him down to kiss his cheek. “Thank you,” she says softly, and Dean knows she means that for more than just the dinner.

“Anytime,” he tells her sincerely.

Dean, Cas, Jody, Donna, and the girls are all still awake, so they head for the TV room and put on Home Alone, figuring that they’ve all seen it so many times it won’t matter if they doze off. Alex and Claire don’t last long, and Jody shoos them to bed with a fond look on her face. Donna makes it about halfway through, and Jody follows soon after her. They say their goodnights in hushed whispers, and once they’re gone, Dean turns to face Cas, realizing that they’re the last two awake.

“You wanna go to bed too?” he asks. He’s still surprisingly alert, considering their early morning.

Cas considers this for a moment, then shakes his head. “No, we may as well finish the movie,” he says.

Dean laughs and shifts his position on the couch so that he’s stretched out with his head in Cas’ lap. “You just want to see the part where the kid realizes the old guy isn’t so scary after all, don’t you,” he teases.

“It’s very moving,” Cas protests.

“You big softie,” Dean mumbles. Cas pulls the soft knit throw off the back of the couch and drapes it over the two of them, and Dean lets out a contented sigh.

“Today was a good day,” he says after a few minutes.

“It was,” Cas agrees, running his fingers lightly through Dean’s hair. Dean arches into his touch. Cas is always so _affectionate_ with him these days, and Dean loves it. Loves him. 

“Good first Christmas, then?”

“The best,” Cas assures him.

Well, that’s gonna make it hard to beat next year. But Dean doesn’t mind a challenge. He’s got a whole year to prepare. 

A whole year of good morning kisses and maybe a few more pairs of satin panties. A whole year of home-made meals and shared bottles of wine and over-the-top seasonal decor. A whole year of everything that Dean never allowed himself to think he would have. 

But he does.

He has a whole year to spend just like this, curled up with Cas in the home that they’ve made, knowing that its walls are keeping the people they love safe and warm. And then, with any luck, a whole lot more years still to come.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for reading! Wishing you and your loved ones happy holidays filled with all the best and brightest things.


End file.
